HOUSTON -- Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not forget the first time he faced Manchester City as a Manchester United player, but it is a painful memory, rather than a pleasant one.
The Armenian midfielder endured a 45-minute ordeal against Pep Guardiola's team at Old Trafford last September before being substituted at half-time by Jose Mourinho. However, not only did Mkhitaryan not appear for the second half, he disappeared from the scene completely for almost two months.
That derby defeat came on Sept. 10, 2016 and the 28-year-old did not play again until he made a substitute appearance in a 2-1 Europa League defeat against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Nov.